Current News

I am currently in the process of migrating the content shared here to a series of new websites hosted at shirleytwofeathers.com.

As you explore this site, you may find links to a "page not found" instead of something cool and magickal. For this I apologize. I am very working hard behind the scenes to restore those pages along with a link to their homes on my new website where they can be viewed in full.

There is evidence that Michaelmas was once celebrated later in the year, on the 10th or 11th of October, this is now referred to as 'Old Michaelmas Day'. There may also have been a time when both dates for Michaelmas were acknowledged.

I like the legend of teenage girls collecting crab apples at the beginning of September, and arranging them in the initials of boys they fancied. If they could still discern the initials on Old Michaelmas Day...

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

As a holiday, Mabon represents the time of honoring the dead, visiting burial sites, giving thankfulness for the end of the harvest season and the bounty it provides. These are the themes of closing, letting go and remembering. For the year, the harvest and for those who were lost to land of Avalon during the year.

Although many view the Harvest season as a celebration of life, it is also a celebration of death. The bounty you gather from your garden provides nourishment for you, family and friends. But it is also the death of those plants and vegetables which have been harvested from that garden. Thus Mabon is a celebration of the cycle of life....

Activities vary with region and tradition, as well as personal preference. Some ideas include making a Sun Wheel or wreath. Also, one could mirror the Celtic tradition of dressing a corn stalk in cloths and burning it in celebration of the harvest and upcoming rebirth.

Simple altar decorations can be obtained by taking a calm “pilgrimage” through your local woods and collecting leaves, acorns, berries, and other things symbolic of nature’s bounty...

Friday, September 01, 2017

The oak tree is lucky for money and health. Try to catch a falling oak leaf in autumn, before it touches the ground. Keep the leaf safely in your purse or wallet to ensure it will never be empty. If an oak leaf accidentally...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can be found in its entirety here: Lucky Leaf

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

I begin to sing of rich-haired Demeter Semne Thea (Reverend goddess) - of her and her trim-ankled daughter (Persephone) whom Aidoneus rapt away, given to him by all-seeing Zeus the loud-thunderer.

Apart from Demeter Khrysaoros (Lady of the golden sword) Aglaokarpos (Giver of glorious fruits), she was playing with the deep-bosomed daughters of Okeanos and gathering flowers over a soft meadow, roses and crocuses and beautiful violets, irises also and hyacinths and the narcissus, which Ge (Earth) made to grow at the will of Zeus and to please the Host of Many (Haides), to be a snare for the bloom-like girl....

Many just beginning their studies of Magick think that there is only one Witchcraft, that being Wicca.

Why magick and not magic? The answer is quite simple...magic is what Copperfield and other illusionists perform. Magick is true, not an illusion. I will never forget the intense surge of power I felt vibrating in my body the first time I practiced magick, and I get that same feeling every time.

I believe it is important for beginners to realize that their are many more paths one can follow. By learning about different ones, it can not only enrich your knowledge, but even guide you towards a path that's best suited for you. It is common for people use the terms Witchcraft and Wicca interchangeably. Whether they are different or just a way of describing the same thing depends on which Witch you ask. Either way you look at it, there is more than one path or tradition. The following are just a few descriptions of some of the most common....

Friday, August 04, 2017

In late August, we celebrate the beginning of the Corn Moon. This moon phase is also known as the Barley Moon, and carries on the associations of grain and rebirth that we saw back at Lammastide. August was originally known as Sextilis by the ancient Romans, but was later renamed for Augustus (Octavian) Caesar. Some Native American tribes knew that the sturgeon of the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain were most readily caught during this full Moon, for them it was the Full Sturgeon Moon. Others called it the Green Corn Moon or the Grain Moon....

Lughnassadh (pronounced "LOO-nahs-ah") or Lammas, is one of the Greater Wiccan Sabbats and is usually celebrated on August 1st or 2nd, although occasionally on July 31st. The Celtic festival held in honor of the Sun God Lugh (pronounced "Loo") is traditionally held on August 7th. Some Pagans celebrate this holiday on the first Full Moon in Leo.

Other names for this Sabbat include the First Harvest Festival, the Sabbat of First Fruits, August Eve, Lammastide, Harvest Home, Ceresalia (Ancient Roman in honor of the Grain Goddess Ceres), Feast of Bread, Sabbat of First Fruits, Festival of Green Corn (Native American), Feast of Cardenas, Cornucopia (Strega), Thingtide and Elembiuos. Lughnassadh is named for the Irish Sun God Lugh (pronounced Loo), and variant spellings for the holiday are Lughnasadh, Lughnasad, Lughnassad, Lughnasa or Lunasa. The most commonly used name for this Sabbat is Lammas, an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "loaf-mass"....

Lammas and Lughnasadh is an ancient Pagan festival celebrated in many parts of the world. Typically falling on the first day of August, this festival celebrates the fruits of the first harvest of the year with a focus upon gratitude and blessings for abundance. The names Lammas and Lughnasadh are often used interchangeably which can create some confusion but the following will help to clear things up....

Lugh (pronounced LOO) was known to the Celts as a god of craftsmanship and skill -- in fact, he was known as the Many-Skilled God, because he was good at so many different things. In one legend, Lugh arrives at Tara, and is denied entrance. He enumerates all the great things he can do, and each time the guard says, "Sorry, we've already got someone here who can do that." Finally Lugh asks, "Ah, but do you have anyone here who can do them ALL?"

Take the opportunity this day to celebrate your own skills and abilities, and make an offering to Lugh to honor him, the god of craftsmanship....

When Lammastide rolls around, the fields are full and fertile. Crops are abundant, and the late summer harvest is ripe for the picking. This is the time when the first grains are threshed, apples are plump in the trees, and gardens are overflowing with summer bounty. In nearly every ancient culture, this was a time of celebration of the agricultural significance of the season. Because of this, it was also a time when many gods and goddesses were honored. These are some of the many deities who are connected with this earliest harvest holiday.

Adonis (Assyrian): Adonis is a complicated god who touched many cultures....

In some Wiccan traditions, Lammas is the time of year when the Goddess takes on the aspects of the Harvest Mother. The earth is fruitful and abundant, crops are bountiful, and livestock are fattening up for winter. However, the Harvest Mother knows that the cold months are coming, and so she encourages us to begin gathering up what we can.

This is the season for harvesting corn and grain, so that we can bake bread to store and have seeds for next year's planting. If you would like to hold a Lammas harvest ritual, here's how:

Spirit of the Grain - In many cultures around the world, staple crops such as corn and rice are believed to embody a spiritual essence.

In European cultures, a corn doll was often used to represent the spirit of the harvested crops. However, Europe didn't have a monopoly on this at all. In South American countries, some tribes took the largest portion of the crops -- typically maize -- and dressed it in clothing as an effigy....

A book of Anglo-Saxon charms advised the crumbling of the Lammas loaf into four pieces and the burying of them in the four corners of the barn to make it safe for all the grain that would be stored there. You can also use this old spellcraft in a protection spell for your home. Here's how:

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Three nights before the cycle of the full moon, you should begin this three-day spell to remove the negative energy preventing abundance from coming your way. Repeat the following ritual bath on each of the three days leading up to the full moon with the last day being on the day the full moon starts. You should use the same candles for each of the three ritual baths.

The Ritual Bath:

To a warm bath, add money bath salts, which are made from a variety of formulas but generally have a strong patchouli scent....

Fill your bathtub with water and scatter some fresh rose petals in it. Light some vanilla candles and/or incense. As you lie in the water, meditate on the image you would like to project and say these words:

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Elemental fairies (being one type of fairy) “are the thought-forms of the Great Beings, our angels, who are in charge of the evolution of the vegetable kingdom. When one of these Great Ones has a new idea connected with one of the kinds of plants or flowers which are under his charge, he often creates...

Doreen Virtue in her book Earth Angels tells how some of us are Incarnated Elementals (Nature Spirits) and animals. There are five categories of Earth Angels: Wise Ones, Incarnated Angels, Starpeople, Walk-Ins, and Incarnated Elementals. According to Doreen, the following are characteristics of each category:

The Archangel Michael offers protection in all areas, however he has earned special renown for protecting against rape. Call him by name or attract him with burning frankincense and tell him what you need....

... this and other spells for protection can be found at my new website, Book of Shadows.

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

July is normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also often called the Full Thunder Moon, for the reason that thunderstorms are most frequent during this time. It is known as the Hay Moon or the Meadow Moon because the meadows are at their greatest point of growth in this month, and it is a time for hay-cutting.Other names for this month’s Moon include: Blood Moon, Grain Moon, Green Corn Moon, Herb Moon, Hungry Ghost Moon, Wort Moon....

As for the garden of mint, the very smell of it alone recovers and refreshes our spirits, as the taste stirs up our appetite for meat.

~Pliny

Mint is another commonly used herb and a real favorite with the true Romanies. Mint is sweet and refreshing, try a few chopped fresh leaves in a salad, also chop and add to pea soup and add it to the water of potatoes when they are nearly cooked....

Searing hot temperatures have a way of sapping the energy right out from one’s body. The following energy potion can help replace this lost energy. Brew pinches of mint and ginseng herbs along with a green tea bag. Steep for three minutes. Strain and serve over ice with lemon slices for a refreshing tonic....

Herbal powders have long been used to improve the quality of a person’s life. Here is one herbal potion that will make you prosperous. Take equal amounts of ground cloves, cinnamon, mustard seed, and ginger and grind in a mortar and pestle to a fine powder. Visualize the mixture drawing wealth to you as you work....

The celebration of Midsummer's Eve was from ancient times linked to the summer solstice. People believed that mid-summer plants had miraculous and healing powers and they therefore picked them on this night. Bonfires were lit to protect against evil spirits which were believed to roam freely when the sun was turning southwards again.

The solstice itself has remained a special moment of the annual cycle of the year since Neolithic times. The concentration of the observance is not on the day as we reckon it, commencing at midnight or at dawn, but the pre-Christian beginning of the day, which falls on the previous eve....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been combined with another and moved to my new website, The Pagan Calendar, It can be found in its entirety here: Midsummer Day

Sunday, June 18, 2017

The Summer Solstice is one of the holiest days of the year. At first light, take a tall white or yellow candle and a short black candle outside; light them to symbolize the longest day and shortest night of the year. A flower-scented incense is good to burn while you intone the words below:

Monday, May 29, 2017

In this manner the letter must be written: first, the ink prepared from soot mixed with pale wine; next, the pen made, shaped from a quill never before cut; then, the paper arranged on a table between two black candles. At the top of the paper this inscription should be set:

See now, thou who are mourned, the nature of this mourning: as thou knowest even now my sorrow, so on this paper do I doubly affirm it....
... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Book of Shadows, and can be found in its entirety here: To Write a Letter to the Beloved Dead

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

In pre-historic times, summer was a joyous time of the year for those Aboriginal people who lived in the northern latitudes. The snow had disappeared; the ground had thawed out; warm temperatures had returned; flowers were blooming; leaves had returned to the deciduous trees. Some herbs could be harvested, for medicinal and other uses. Food was easier to find. The crops had already been planted and would be harvested in the months to come....

In Slavic mythology, Kapalo or Kupalo is the god of the summer solstice. Kupalo is the mature, the aging Yarilo. Yarilo comes into human world (Yav) every spring to bring new life, fertility and rich harvest. In the summer he turns into Kupalo. His life on the world gradually moves to its end....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, The Powers That Be, and can be found in its entirety here: Kupalo

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

In the beginning the immortals
who have their homes on Olympos
created the golden generation of mortal people
These lived in Kronos' time when he
was the king in heaven.
They lived as if they were gods,
and their hearts free from all sorrow,...

O you glorious and benevolent angels,Urzla, Zlar, Larzod, Arzal, who are the four angels of the East, I invocate you, adjure and call you forth to visible apparition in and through the great prevalent and divine name of the Most Holy God Erzla, and by the ineffable and efficacious virtues and power thereof, whereby you are governed and called forth...

Sunday, May 07, 2017

It is said that if a human drinks from fairy wine, he or she will see fairies. If a fairy happens to drink from the same goblet, then the person will see fairies forevermore. The following is a traditional recipe for fairy wine.

7 lbs. elderberries, stripped and stalked

3 gallons boiling water

6 cloves

3 lbs. loaf sugar...

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been moved to my new website, Magickal Apothecary, and can be found in its entirety here: Fairy Wine

The May full moon is also known as the Flower Moon, Milk Moon, Corn Planting Moon, and Corn Moon. The energies around this moon are ones of health, romance, love and wisdom. We are encouraged to begin to take action on the things we’ve recently been planning....

Wednesday, May 03, 2017

Magickal Uses: Parsley promotes fertility and encourages lust. Use it in purification baths. Sprigs of parsley were once used on plates to keep food from becoming contaminated.

Medicinal Uses: Parsley has more vitamin C, proportionally, than an orange. Take infusions of parsley for bladder infections. It is also rich in other vitamins, like A, several B's, and contains good quantities of calcium and iron....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been combined with another, and moved to my new website Gypsy Magick and Lore, and can be found here: Why Parsley?

If parsley is thrown into fishponds,it will heal the sick fishes therein.

~Turner

The most popular culinary herb is probably parsley. The Romany folk used it for many cures. Parsley is best when fresh and green, and goes with almost any dish, adding not only flavour but also helping to keep the system clear and disease at bay. Incidentally, a sprig dipped in vinegar and chewed will sweeten the sourest of breath....

... I am so sorry to do this to you, but this post has been combined with another, and moved to my new website, Gypsy Magick and Lore, it can be found in its entirety here: Why Parsley?